Are Black and Grey Tattoos Grey ink?

Are Black and Grey Tattoos done with grey ink?

The term Black and Grey Tattoo is a bit of a misnomer. You see, there is no grey ink in black and grey tattoos. In fact, these emblematic pieces of art are made using black ink almost exclusively. 

The process of inking your skin, from start to finish, can be broken down into a few significant decisions: The initial decision to get a tattoo, where on your body to get it, what the design will be, etc. One of these decisions, however, is not given near enough importance by most people: going with color or going with a Black and Grey design.

Because we believe this to be such a crucial moment in the history of any given tattoo, today, we are going to delve into the world of Black & Grey Tattoos.

It’s All About The Gradients

Like we mentioned above, black and grey tattoos aren’t precisely just black and gray because they are made by using black ink…for the most part. To obtain the characteristic grey color in black and gray tattoos, black ink is diluted until lighter shades of black resemble the color grey. However; many artists like to make use of minute traces of other colors, such as white, to produce contrast and highlights.

The real beauty of the black and grey tattoo lies in the gradients that the artist is able to achieve. The natural gradients of black and grey tattoos allow tattoo artists to form complex images through the light-to-dark interplay of shadow and stippling textures.

Advantages Of The Black And Grey Tattoo

• A black and grey tattoo is very somber and just perfect for symbolic designs and portraits with a significant emotional presence.

• A Black and Grey tattoo can often be less expensive because less color is used.

• • A Black and Grey tattoo can often be less painful because less ink is injected into the skin.

Tips For Those Getting A Black And Grey Tattoo

Black and Grey Tattoos are exceptionally suited for designs with strong line work. When a tattoo artist is able to emphasize his line work with the black and grey technique, the rest of the elements in the design become more relevant.

Less is more. Simple images work very well in a black and grey gradient. However, genuinely gifted artists can make almost any design, regardless of its complexity, look fantastic in black and grey.

Black and grey tattoos are perfect for detailed texture work. The interplay between light and shadow that is so typical of Black and Grey tattoos is naturally suited to illustrate complex textures such as wood whorls, the roughness of stone, etc.

The play of shadows is also a great tool to express mystery or a dreamlike quality that suits symbolic designs so well.

Black and grey is actually very versatile and can work perfectly for anything from mandalas, floral designs, tribal designs, historical pieces, animal designs, portrait tattoos, chicano tats, traditional tattoos, from cute and sexy to edgy tattoos to large and small tattoos, etc.

I hope this was enough to whet your appetite and make you consider Black and Grey for your next tattoo.